Makeup
by 2originalcents
Summary: Cartman teaches Marjorine a thing or two about proper make up application.


Marjorine sits at her desk, a mirror in hand as she tries to even out her cat eyes. She groans to herself when she accepts that she'll have to start over. She reaches for a tissue and that's when her bedroom door flies open. She turns, terrified. Her parents are suppose to be out all night, and she didn't even hear their car pull in, but it isn't her parents.

"Butters, what are you up to? God, I'm so-" Cartman says, his voice anguished, but when he sees Marjorine in her nightgown and long, blond wig, he stops in his tracks.

Marjorine is trembling in her seat, the mirror and tissue clutches tightly in her fists as she waits for the onslaught of insults Cartman is sure to throw at her. But Cartman doesn't speak, he doesn't move. His mouth is hanging open on the word 'bored', his hand still on the doorknob. He watches her like he doesn't know what to do. His brows crease and he looks away, then down, seeming embarrassed. After a moment he turns back to Marjorine and tells her, "Don't move or I'll murder you, okay?"

Before Marjorine can react Cartman is out the door, slamming it closed in his wake. Marjorine is terrified, not sure what she's waiting for. Is Cartman going to bring people over to mock her? Is he going to come back and try to sell her off as some fetish sex slave? She knows she should change, get up, lock her doors, pretend none of this happened, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Either out of fear or an innate desire to do as Cartman says she isn't sure, but she's still seated in place after five minutes and Cartman comes back carrying a duffel bag.

So this is it, there's probably sex toys in there and Cartman is going to make her his bondage slave? In the midst of terror Marjorine is annoyed with herself, where the hell did that fantasy come from?

Cartman doesn't say a word. He places the duffel bag on Marjorine's bed and takes out a large box from inside and a rolled up canvas bag meant for brushes. Marjorine watches him intently when he finally talks.

"Sit on your desk," he says, still fixing his things.

Marjorine wants to ask him what's going on, but instead she gets up and gently sits on her desk. Cartman turns to her and removes the books and her own little make up bag and places them on top of her dresser. He clears out the desk save the tissue box and places his large box, which Marjorine can now see is an industrial sized make up box, and his bag of brushes. Cartman opens the box from a latch on top. He pulls either side apart and reveals a wide array of make up and would make any artist jealous. Marjorine looks at the box then back at Cartman, who goes back to his duffel bag and pulls out a small, blue, plastic bag filled with wipes.

"Okay," he says, sighing, and walks over to Marjorine.

He takes her chin in his hand and turns her head this way and that. He grabs a wipe from the blue bag and gently removes the uneven make up from Marjorine's eyes. He stands there, wiping her face until it's clean and bare. When he's finished with that he tosses the wipe in the waste basket she always keeps by her desk.

Moving on from that, Cartman looks through the bottles held by the larger portion of his box at the bottom. When he pulls one out Marjorine can see it's a face moisturizer. Cartman puts a small amount of serum on his fingers and rubs it on her face. Marjorine closes her eyes, relaxing under Cartman's touch. The gentle movements of his fingers were soothing, his fingers moving this way and that, massaging her face. When that was done he puts the bottle away and looks through other bottles Marjorine assumes are foundation. Cartman grabs her chin again and studies her hard, his lips pushed to the side as he thinks. Cartman lets go of the foundation in his fingers in favor for another, lighter bottle. He pulls it out and just as he did with the moisturizing serum, he rubs the foundation onto Marjorine's face. When he's done with the foundation he quickly reaches for a thin concealer tube and dabs a bit on the bags under Marjorine's eyes. When all the product is blended, he grabs a tissue and wipes his hands. He then unrolls his brush carrying case and pulls out a large, fluffy brush. He grabs a compact from his box and opens it. He dabs the setting powder with his brush and quickly runs it across Marjorine's face. She smiles, giggling a bit, the brush tickling her.

Soon that's over and Cartman turns his box so now the eyeshadows are closest to him. He grabs a liquid eyeliner and lifts Marjorine's face up towards him and leaves his hand on her chin to hold it in place. Marjorine's eyelids flutter when she feels the thin brush and cool make up on them, but she keeps them closed, not wanting to ruin Cartman's work. She hears a clicking sound of Cartman stick the brush back in the container and shaking it around to collect more make up. He runs the brush on her eyes so a thin, barely evident cat eye is in place, mostly meant to outline her eyes. He puts the eyeliner away once he's finished and grabs three brushes from his case. He places the handles of two in his mouth, the other in his hand. He hums a bit as he quickly chooses eyeshadows. He unlids his choices and dips the brush in his hand into the light green, shimmering shadow. Marjorine closes her eyes again and she can feel her her eyelid up to her brow be covered by the shadow.

Cartman rotates the brushes in his mouth, one brush designated to one shadow. On top of her eyelid Cartman puts a strong powder blue eye shadow, on the part between her lid and brow he puts a slightly lighter shade and he blends the colors.

While he blends it occurs to Marjorine this could all be some cruel prank. He can be making her up to look like a clown for all she knew and she would just be sitting there letting it happen.

"Relax your eyelid, please," Cartman says, his voice barely a whisper as he concentrates on his art.

Marjorine does relax, and she realizes she's being silly. Cartman wouldn't do that to her, he would never hurt her in that way. When it counted she could always count on him to support her. She trusts him fully and irrevocably.

When the eyeshadows are done, Cartman grabs a lash curler and carefully curls her lashes, making sure to not smudge the make up or nip her actual lid. He then grabs a tube of mascara and opens it. He runs the brush across the edge of the tube, making sure to remove excess product, and runs the bristles through her lashes.

"Is this sanitary?" Marjorine asks before she can bite her tongue.

"I spray everything with rubbing alcohol after every use," Cartman says, his voice monotone from concentration.

Once that's done and put away with, Cartman's hand hovers over other small containers and pulls out one filled with light pink make up. He grabs a new brush and dips it in. He dabs at Marjorine's lower lip with it and slowly covers her lips with the make up.

"I didn't know lipstick could be applied with a brush too," Marjorine says as she puckers her lips together to spread the product evenly.

"Yep," Cartman says, looking back at his box for a new compact, this one filled with powdered blush. He grabs another fluffy brush, this one stumpier than the foundation brush, and rubs a slight amount of blush on the apple of Marjorine's cheeks. Once he's done with that, Cartman takes a step back, appraising his work, and seeming satisfied. At least that's what Marjorine thinks, his expressions are hard to decipher when it comes to make up.

"Stand up," Cartman orders.

Marjorine hops off the desk and yelps when Cartman pulls her nightgown off of her in one swift movement, the fabric not touching her face. He frowns when he sees that she's stuffed her bra and brazenly sticks his hands underneath, removing the padding. Before she can react he turns her around and unhooks her bra, then hooks it again on the very last clasp, so it's tighter on her. He moves the plastic on the straps to shorten them and it lift the cups higher. Marjorine looks down at herself and is amazed when she sees her honest to goodness breasts filling out the bra. Not able to help herself, she paws at her chest. Granted, they're not as big as they were with her padding, they're definitely bigger than her previous flatness. She doesn't understand this witchcraft Cartman performed.

Cartman puts the nightgown over her head and puts it on her. "It's just about knowing how to use a bra," he explains once she's dressed again and she looks at him expectantly. "Now sit on the bed."

Marjorine rubs her knuckles together when she goes to sit. Cartman sits behind her so she's now between his legs. She feels her face getting hotter while Cartman rummages through his bag again and procures a brush. He undoes Marjorine's attempts at pigtails and brushes out the hair.

"This is a really nice wig," he says, running the brush carefully through it, making sure it doesn't snag.

"Thanks, I bought it off this cosplay website," she explains.

They're quiet again, only the sound of the brush running through her hair filling the air. Cartman doesn't braid her hair, he simply parts it evenly down the middle, tying a few inches up from the end with the discarded ribbons he had undone.

When all his hard work is done, Cartman stands. He turns to Marjorine and holds both his hands out to her. She takes them and he walks backwards, leading her to her full-length mirror. He steps aside and she looks at herself for the first time. Her hand flies straight to her mouth and her whole body shutters. She feels tears in her eyes but she tries to blink them back, afraid to ruin her make up.

"Well?" Cartman asks

Marjorine turns to him, then back at the mirror. She drops her hand to her stomach, her mouth still hanging open.

"I'm pretty," she says, sobbing and laughing in one. She gently wipes at her eyes as laughter beats out the sobs. "You made me pretty."

"You're always pretty, I just properly applied your make up," Cartman says, shrugging, his hands on his hips. He's not smiling, but he's obviously proud.

"Thank you," Marjorine says. She walks to him, holding his shoulder with her hand and getting up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, but in the last second Cartman turns his face to kiss her lips.

Marjorine step back, startled. Cartman reaches for her and places his hand on the small of her back.

"I'm serious. You're always pretty. And I know all these tricks because I use them on myself sometimes."

Marjorine rubs her knuckles. "Why?" she asks, wondering if Cartman's reasons are the same as hers.

"I don't know. Sometimes I just… It's not all the time, it's just sometimes I do feel like… Erica…"

Marjorine feels the tears in her eyes coming again. Cartman understands her, even if it's just sometimes, he understands. She looks down, then back up at him. "This isn't sometimes for me, this is all the time."

Cartman nods. "Okay."

Marjorine steps into his embrace, burying her face into his shoulder as she cries. She's never admitted this to anyone before. Up until that time she's always kept this part of herself a secret, afraid people would make fun of her despite how open minded everyone is. Afraid that Cartman would shun her and call her a freak or a fag or both. But he holds her close and lets her cry, understanding exactly how it feels to finally admit this out loud.

"Oh no, I'm ruining the make up," Marjoine says when she steps back. She wipes at her eyes and laughs.

"It's waterproof mascara," Cartman says by way of answer, cupping her face with his hand. He leans down to kiss her, and this time Marjorine kisses back, her heart sputtering.

"Thank you," she says when they pull away.

"Yeah."

They kiss and hold each other until Marjorine is sure her parents will be home soon. She changes out of her nightgown into her regular pajamas, puts her wig away, and sits still on the bed as Cartman wipes her face clean again.

"Have you told your mom about Erica?" Marjorine asks.

"No, but she knows, y'know?"

Marjorine nods. "I want to tell my parents, but I'm so scared."

Cartman reaches for her hand, covering it with his.

"Whenever you feel ready to come out, call me and I'll be there, okay?"

Marjorine feels the tears in her eyes again, touched by the offer.

"Okay!" she says, grinning.

Cartman packs up his things and they kiss goodnight. Marjorine crawls underneath her covers and cuddles into her pillow.

"Okay," she says out loud to herself. "Okay."


End file.
